The Christmas clock is ticking even quicker than in previous years. E-tailers often snare late shoppers by hiking delivery costs the later you leave it. As normal, to help, we've compiled the Last Order Dates for 80+ stores (top 20 below), including both the last free/cheapest date and the costs after.

Warning: Delivery problems have been rife this time - much worse than normal. Parcel firm Yodel's issues are well documented but it's not alone. Some major stores have brought forward last order dates and more could follow. Even click and collect dates won't necessarily be reliable as many shops use the same firms to deliver to stores as to homes. The golden rule is order today.

Top 20 shops' last free or cheap Xmas online order dates

Amazon* Free deliv possible. Order by 19 December. Argos* Deliv from £3.95. Large items (eg, TVs) by 20 Dec, small by 22 Dec. Click & collect (any size) by 24 Dec. Asda Direct* Free deliv possible. Small items by 19 Dec, large by 20 Dec. Click & collect (any size) by 23 Dec. ASOS* Deliv from £3. Order by 18 Dec, click & collect by 22 Dec. BHS*Deliv from £3.95. Order by 20 Dec, click & collect by 22 Dec. Boots* Deliv from £2.95. Order by 21 Dec, click & collect by 23 Dec. Currys* Free deliv possible. Small items by 20 Dec, large by 23 Dec. Click & collect (any size) by 24 Dec. Debenhams* Deliv from £3.99. Order by 20 Dec, click & collect by 23 Dec. Homebase* Deliv from £3.95. Order by 20 Dec. Not given click & collect date.House of Fraser* Deliv from £3. Order by 17 Dec, click & collect by 22 Dec. John Lewis* Deliv from £3. Order by 19 Dec, click & collect by 22 Dec. M&S* (non-food). Deliv from £3.50. Its last order date was yesterday (Tuesday), but you can click & collect by 20 Dec. Matalan* Deliv from £3.95. Order and click & collect by 17 Dec. New Look* Deliv from £3.99. Order by 21 Dec, click & collect by 19-21 Dec, depending on store. Next* Deliv from £3.99. Order and click & collect by 22 Dec. River Island Deliv from £3.95. Order and click & collect by 21 Dec. Tesco Direct* Deliv from £3. Order by 19 Dec, click & collect by 22 Dec. Topshop Deliv from £4. Order by 20 Dec, click & collect by 22 Dec.Toys 'R' Us* Deliv from £4.95. Order by 18 Dec, click & colletc by 24 Dec.WHSmith* Deliv from £2.99. Order and click & collect by 19 Dec.

With Christmas round the corner, no one wants problems - yet they are happening, so I want to tool you up with your delivery rights...

1. The biggest protection online is you can send it back if it's late. Unlike buying in store, buy online and the Consumer Contracts Regulations mean you can cancel the order within 14 days of arrival for any reason. You've then 14 days to send it back. So if your parcel doesn't arrive in time, you've the lukewarm comfort of knowing you can return it. The exception is personalised or perishable items.

2.Give delivery instructions when ordering. Shockingly, we often hear horror stories of firms leaving parcels in wheelie bins, under bushes, in BBQs or behind rear car wheels to be reversed over. So if you may be out, tell the delivery company where to leave it, or ask a neighbour to receive it.

3.Your contract is with the store, not the delivery firm. Unless you paid directly for the delivery, then it's the store that owes you a duty of care. Don't be fobbed off, it's the one you paid - and it chose to sub-contract out delivery. So contact it, be firm, be polite, and ask for a refund (and maybe compensation).

4.If you take time off work and they don't show, claim compensation. For larger deliveries, if you stay in, taking time off work, then you may be entitled to compensation for your time. This is under the rules of 'consequential loss', but you need to legitimately take EXTRA time off to wait in for the redelivery for it to work. Matty-art got "£150 for multiple cancelled deliveries. It's well worth persisting". FREE template letter and help in Delivery Rights Compensation.

5.Unless it specifically says 'in time for Christmas', rights are difficult. By law, delivery only needs to be "within a reasonable time", which is normally up to 30 days. That's why I started with rule 1 for online goods, ie, the fact you can send them back is your best chance of a refund.

For goods ordered in stores for delivery, unless it's said it will arrive by 25 Dec, it's tricky. So if you order in a store, if you can, ensure it states this and make it agree 'time is of the essence'. If not, it's a risk. See Time Is Of The Essence.

PS. WEEKLY EMAIL DELIVERY PLAN. No delays, but we won't quite be sticking to our 'every Wednesday' routine due to the festive calendar. So next week's email will be sent on Tue 23 Dec; the one after on Fri 2 Jan. Then back to normal.

A balance transfer's when you get a new card that repays debts on an old credit card(s) for you, so you now owe it at a lower rate; helping you get debt-free quicker. We're in the midst of a price war - so it's a great time to sort your debts.

15mth interest-free NO-FEE card. The Santander* card (eligibility calc) lets accepted new cardholders shift debt to it for 15mths 0% without the usual one-off fee - it's the longest fee-free 0% for at least 5 years and smashes Tesco's 12mth 0% version. Clear the debt before the 0% ends and there's no cost.

The new Santander's 123* card's a longer 23mth 0% - there's no one-off fee, but there is a £24 annual fee. Yet for Santander 123 bank account customers that's refunded in year 1. If that's you and you need a longer 0% than the card above and are shifting c.£2,000+, it could win. Aim for the lowest fee, provided there's time for you to clear it.

1) % of the amount transferred 2) Some get a shorter 0% 3) Its bank account custs get the 1st yr refunded. 4) These are promo rates. You pay a higher fee & they refund you down to this level. 5) 16.5% rep APR incl fee

The Balance Transfer Golden Rules. It's not just about picking the right card, it's about using it the right way...

a) Don't apply willy-nilly. Each application marks your credit file. Use the Eligibility Calc to find your best chance.
b) Never miss the min monthly repayments, or the bank is allowed to end your 0% deal and charge far more.
c) Ensure you clear the card or transfer again before the 0% ends or the rate rockets to the rep APR.
d) Don't spend/withdraw cash on these. It usually isn't at the cheap rate & cash withdrawals hit your credit file.
e) Unsure what to pick? Use our Which Card Is Cheapest? tool. Full help in Best Balance Transfers(APR Examples)

It used to be you'd get a box set nicely wrapped under the tree. While it lacks the romance, many blockbuster series are now streamed for free, if you can watch 'em quickly enough. Full tips in Cheap Movies & TV Online, here's a trailer...

Max free trials. Two big online services, Amazon Prime & Netflix, offer 30-day free promos - both are one per person, not per household, so different household members can sign up. To keep it free, diarise to cancel before it ends (though this takes more discipline than you think, see Martin's the real reason firms offer 1mth trials blog).

Beware broadband limits & price. Streaming eats data for breakfast. Luckily these days most home broadband is unlimited download, but check yours. Even so many people vastly overpay, eg, in our cheap broadband guide there are deals such as pay £168 for a year's unlimited broadband and line rent and get a £100 Amazon voucher.

Do you pay for Sky, BT or Virgin TV? If so, you'll often have access to 'on demand' TV where you can stream sets for free, eg, Sky has True Detective and Grey's Anatomy. See Existing TV packages.

We know it's a naff Christmas hook, but getting better home cover could save some £100s (and protect your presents). There's no single cheapest insurer, so follow our Cheap Home Insurance aria to bag a bargain. Here's a wee carol...

Are you over or under covering? There are two elements to home insurance...

Buildings cover - only normally for freeholders. You don't need to cover your home's market value, just the far lower cost of rebuilding if it's knocked down - rebuild calc.
Contents cover - suitable for all. Many underinsure thinking "I'd never claim over £10k". Yet with £20k of stuff, claim for a £2k sofa and you may only get £1k - contents calc.

Never auto-renew, always grab max quotes in min time. Auto-renewing often leaves you hugely overpaying. The key is to get max quotes at speed by COMBINING comparison sites (they don't all cover the same insurers). Our current order's Confused*, Compare TM & GoCompare*. As Dave Norton emailed us: "Renewal for buildings & contents was £790. Gocompare came up like-for-like for £160. Massive saving of £630. Well happy."

The hot deals comparison sites MISS incl £80 Amazon voucher. Comparison sites don't include Direct Line* and Aviva*, so check to see if they beat comparison sites' winners. Then check against promo deals like the MSE Blagged deals below, both of which are for combined new buildings & contents policies.

- Get £80 Amazon vch with Policy Expert.Go via this Policy Expert* link until 24 Dec and you'll be emailed an £80 Amazon voucher within 80 days of the policy start date.
- Get £70 plus £10 Amazon vch with L&G. Go via this L&G* link using the code MSEDEC14 to get £70 cash loaded on a Pockit Mastercard, plus a £10 Amazon vch. They arrive separately but both within 75 days of policy start.

Are your Xmas pressies covered? Some home insurers automatically increase your contents insurance to cover Xmas goodies - useful if you've big gifts under the tree. Yet not all do, so check. See Christmas gifts.

Overpay for foreign cash and it means you're overpaying for EVERYTHING when abroad, so here's how to get max value...

Travelex 2hr online currency sales. The boon here is you can order in advance to pick up at the airport, great as order-at-airport rates are usually dire. It'll temporarily boost its EURO rate: Fri 19 Dec 11am-1pm. All OTHERS: Thu 18 Dec, 11am-1pm.

Asda's also boosting
euros, as well as US, Canadian, Egyptian and Icelandic currency from Wed
8am till Fri 8am. You can collect from stores or use home delivery.

Are the rates any good? Just because firms boost their rates doesn't mean they're winners. Use our Travel Money Comparison (which updates during sale times) to check. Often when one firm boosts rates, others listed respond to remain at the top.

Easy UNBEATABLE rates every time you go away in 2015. To smash bureaux de change rates, and save hassle if you regularly go away, the Halifax Clarity* credit card (Eligibility calc) lets you spend on it at the same near-perfect rate as banks get in every country. Grab one, then ensure you pay it IN FULL each month (preferably by direct debit) to minimise the 12.9% representative APR. Full help: Top Overseas Credit Cards. (APR Examples)

Success of the week: (Send us yours on this or any topic)"I applied for an Amex Gold card Martin highlighted - used it for my usual food & petrol shopping and racked up enough points to get an M&S gift card for £125 and a £5 gift voucher. Saved me a fortune on Christmas presents and treats."
- see our Credit Card Freebies guide to find out how to earn. Just remember you have to repay IN FULL.

CAMPAIGN OF THE WEEK
Donate a dinner to someone in your community
Foodbanks UK-wide are likely to be busy over the next few weeks as people struggle with the cost of Christmas. Donate a few items and help a family who can't afford food this year - the Trussell Trust runs a network of about 400 venues so check its map to see if there's one near you. If there isn't, typing your area and 'foodbank' into Google will usually come up with a local option.

MSE team corner

Discussion of the week

If the prospect of being knee-deep in wrapping paper and Sellotape ignites a fire in your loins, fear not - you aren't alone. Whether it's ribbons or bows, glitter or shine that floats your boat, join a whole community of wrap enthusiasts in the Wrapaholics anonymous thread.

Question of the week

Q: If my broadband provider can't supply my new home - even though I want to stay with it and transfer the contract - does it have the right to take payment for the remaining period? Jack, via email

MSE Nick's A: When you get out of a contract early, a provider has the right to charge an early termination fee, even if you can’t get a service where you live.

Frustratingly, providers don’t publish costs but regulator Ofcom dictates these charges must be fair. As a guidance, it says providers can claim the remaining payments for the contract but must also deduct whatever they've saved from not providing you a service.

BT, EE, Plusnet, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media all said they sometimes waive the charge if you genuinely can’t get their service, but we know examples of firms not doing so, so you may need to pressure ‘em.

If you believe your provider's demands are unfair, complain to it. If rejected, or after eight weeks, you can use a free, independent 'alternative dispute resolution' scheme. Find the relevant one for your provider on Ofcom's website.

That's it for this week, but before we go, last Friday was the MSE Christmas party and Martin set fiendish quiz questions, which we answered in teams (while grinning and bearing it). Now it's your turn to take the MSE Towers Christmas quiz.

We hope you save some money,

Martin & the MSE team

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How this site works

We think it's important you understand the strengths and limitations of the site. We're a journalistic website and aim to provide the best MoneySaving guides, tips, tools and techniques, but can't guarantee to be perfect, so do note you use the information at your own risk and we can't accept liability if things go wrong.

This info does not constitute financial advice, always do your own research on top to ensure it's right for your specific circumstances and remember we focus on rates not service.

Do note, while we always aim to give you accurate product info at the point of publication, unfortunately price and terms of products and deals can always be changed by the provider afterwards, so double check first.

We don't as a general policy investigate the solvency of companies mentioned (how likely they are to go bust), but there is a risk any company can struggle and it's rarely made public until it's too late (see the Section 75 guide for protection tips).

We often link to other websites, but we can't be responsible for their content.

Always remember anyone can post on the MSE forums, so it can be very different from our opinion.

MoneySavingExpert.com is part of the MoneySupermarket Group, but is entirely editorially independent. Its stance of putting consumers first is protected and enshrined in the legally-binding MSE Editorial Code.